Thursday 29 March 2012 04.00 EDT
First published on Thursday 29 March 2012 04.00 EDT

Some weeks the key NBA action occurs on the court while other times the real action occurs behind the scenes. This week, filled with injury reports, coaching controversies and big news stories involving former greats, has definitely been more of the former than the latter. What else could be expected from a week where most of the major news stories have been taking place in Hollywood?

1. The Miami Heat do something right

Given their role as the official Big Bads of the NBA world, it takes a lot for the Miami Heat to get positive publicity, but that's what happened on when Miami Heat players tweeted photos of themselves wearing hoodies in honor of slain teenager Trayvon Martin. On February 26, a Neighborhood Watch volunteer shot and killed an unarmed Martin, an event that provoked nationwide outrage after it was discovered that the shooter, who claimed self-defense, had not been charged with any crime.

Miami Heat make a public message about Trayvon Martin's killing. Photograph: LeBron James via Twitter/AP

At the lowest point of the scandal, formerly relevant news celebrity Geraldo Rivera suggested that Martin's fatal mistake was in wearing a hoodie, as if that item of clothing were some universal symbol of hoodlumism (quick, someone tell New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick that). In publicly wearing these hoodies in his memory, the Miami Heat sent their support to Martin's grieving family. "We just couldn't imagine (anyone's) son leaving to go play basketball or go to the drugstore or go anywhere and he doesn't return," LeBron James explained. It's always a risk when athletes make a public stance about a controversial incident involving matters of race, but the Heat players took the exact right route here by avoiding overt social/political commentary and instead making a symbolic gesture to match the simple message of an earlier Dwyane Wade tweet: "I am Trayvon Martin".

2. If you were a NBA coach in LA, this has not been your week

It's never an easy move to replace one of the greatest coaches in NBA history, especially when that job involves trying to coach the uncoachable (a.k.a. Kobe Bryant). So it hasn't been shocking that first year Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike Brown has been having difficulties following the legendary Phil Jackson. Brown started this year being accused of being a de facto defensive coordinator whose offensive duties began and end at holding Kobe's clipboard. Of course, it was expected that Brown would have conflicts with Kobe, it's essentially impossible not to have conflicts with Kobe.

On Tuesday night, however, Brown's frustrations with center Andrew Bynum became the main storyline. Bynum made his first successful career three pointer on Sunday against the Memphis Grizzlies, and in response Brown, worried about Bynum straying from his true offensive game, benched him. Instead of being chastised, Bynum was apparently emboldened. In the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors, Bynum attempted a three with plenty of time left on the shot clock (unlike his previous three-point attempts which had been last-second desperation shots). Brown, worried that Bynum was getting into a bad habit, benched his All-Star center once again, this time for the remainder of the third quarter. Brown only played Bynum an additional three more minutes in what ended up being a 104-101 Lakers win.

This being the Los Angeles Lakers, which honors its host city by providing as much conflict that befits a Hollywood production, Bynum made no attempt to hide his frustration. After visibly sulking on the bench - hey at least he's learnt something from Kobe - Bynum told the press: "I don't know what was bench-worthy about the shot, to be honest with you. I made one (against Memphis), and I wanted to make another one. I swear. That's it. I guess (Brown) took offense to it, so he put me on the bench". Brown's response: "That's something that I felt could have taken us out of rhythm, and so that's why I took him out of the game".

Mike Brown has been in a shaky position both with his star player and the Lakers' fanbase from the beginning of his tenure. That in itself was never going to be a huge knock against Brown, superstar athletes and Lakers fans are two of the most demanding groups of people in American sports, but if a younger player like Bynum starts to tune Brown out there's a real danger that Brown will start running out of sympathetic ears in the locker room.

Shockingly, Bryant had no intentions of downplaying this conflict to the media, suggesting that the coaching staff was "not used to dealing with players of Drew's ambition". Plus, given the fact that Lakers VP Jimmy Buss holds the biggest of all possible man-crushes on Bynum, it's easy to see who he will end up siding with if this standoff becomes an ongoing concern.

In the meantime, pity the poor Los Angeles Clippers who cannot even win the battle of the media coverage when it comes to coaching controversies. Reports have been brewing for over a week suggesting that several Clippers players were tuning out head coach Vinny Del Negro, seeing him as a lame duck manager. Following back-to-back double digit wins, ownership announced that Del Negro will at least finish out the remainder of the season as head coach. Of course, it's difficult to determine whether this is a genuine "vote of confidence" or the "dreaded vote of confidence" that precedes almost every public firing.

In any case, I genuinely feel bad for the Clippers: They've finally become a significant figure on the NBA scene, but they still cannot compete with their in-town rivals for press, not even negative press. What will the Clippers have to do to win over the tabloids? Will Blake Griffin have to get into legal trouble in Colorado? Does Chris Paul have to legally change his name to "Metta Cancelled Trade"? Does Donald Sterling have to end up in the center of an incredibly sordid trial? Oh wait.

3. This month's medical report

Because of the shortened season, it was very possible that the Finals matchup would be dictated by health more than any other factor. The NBA's biggest injury casualty remains the reigning MVP, Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, who has missed eight consecutive games with a groin injury, and the longer it lingers the more worried Bulls fans should get. For most of the season it's seemed inevitable that the Bulls and the Heat would be the two teams left standing in the East. If Rose is significantly hurt by the time the playoffs roll around, it's difficult to think of another team in the East that could knock out the Miami Heat.

One team that certainly doesn't look like it will be healthy enough is the Boston Celtics who are in danger of having to dress fans just to avoid forfeiting games. Chris Wilcox is out indefinitely with a heart issue similar to the one that ended teammate Jeff Green's season, and veteran big man Jermaine O'Neal is undergoing season-ending surgery, not that he was making much of an impact during the season. The most frightening in-game injury occurred when Mickael Pietrus suffered a frightening concussion in-game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Even at full strength it was going to be difficult for the Celtics to get deep in the playoffs, at this point it's looking like it will be a minor miracle if the team makes it to the playoffs without any casualties.

Meanwhile, and this will shock you, things aren't looking so great for the New York Knicks. Yes, I know I've written that sentence a lot this past month. Not only are the Knicks dealing with Jeremy Lin's ailing knee, but now they are losing Amar'e Stoudemire for 2-3 weeks with a bulging disk (that's DISK, mind you). Forward Carmelo Anthony is also listed as questionable, although his detractors would say he has been questionable all season. With so many key injuries in the East it's a shame that LeBron James just injured his ring finger, this might be the year that he really needs it.

4. A tale of two former superstars

Two former NBA stars were in the news recently for dramatically different reasons. On Tuesday, it was announced that Magic Johnson was part of a group of buyers who bought the Los Angeles Dodgers from the McCourt family, at the cost of two billion dollars. Johnson was already a Los Angeles basketball hero due to his headlining days with the '80s Lakers and he was also one of the key figures in raising AIDS awareness after being diagnosed as HIV positive. Now, in rescuing the city's beloved Dodgers from the hated Frank McCourt, Johnson has established himself as a L.A. baseball hero on par with Sandy Koufax and Kirk Gibson. It seems Magic's legacy is assured, at least as long as he doesn't attempt to become a talk show host again.

The recent revelations about NBA Hall-of-Famer Dennis "Worm" Rodman were not as cheery. Rodman, the flamboyant defensive player who helped Michael Jordan win several championships and expanded the off-the-court wardrobe choices for professional athletes, is reportedly completely out of money and can no longer pay child support. There are reports that Rodman is very sick, but it's unclear whether this just applies to his well-documented addictions or whether or not he's suffering from additional medical problems, raising hints that Rodman's future might not be getting much brighter anytime soon. It's really a strange commentary on how impossible it is to predict to the future that out of two Hall of Fame players, the one diagnosed with HIV at the height of the AIDS epidemic is the one with the brightest present.

5. Other things we've learned

• The slumping Lamar Odom, a.k.a. Mrs. Khloe Kardashian, is getting booed by Dallas Maverick fans while Kris Humphries, Kim Kardashian's ex, is still winning polls calling him the most hated man in the NBA. The Curse of the Kardashians continues.

• It's really difficult to figure out what is worse about this dirty foul by the New Orleans Hornets' Jason Smith against Clipper Blake Griffin: the foul itself or the crowd's over-the-top approval.

"A: …When I'm in a limousine, she takes all of her clothes. The limo driver said, what is going on? And she started sucking me on the way to Mr. Koon's house. And I thank her. I thank her for making me feel good.